I GOT SUNSHINE

STRUT THAT STUFF!
A face that everyone can love!
This little girl was one day old on THURSDAY when she stepped outside into the snow at PEDIGREE FARM near Schomberg.
This is the first foal for the millionaire stallion STRUT THE STAGE (Theatrical), who stands at Colebrook Farms. This gal is the first foal of the winning mare COUNTESS GRACE (Grey Counter).






The STRUT THE STAGE filly has a lot of chrome!

TODAY

Locals in action today include MALCOLM PIERCE, who has a litany of runners at Fair Grounds including AUTOBAHN GIRL in the MARIE KRANTZ MEMORIAL STAKES, the promising SERNEITY LAKE in race 3 and THE GREAT CARUSO in the 7^th race.

Canadian-bred IT’S A Danzig is also in race 7 for a new owner and trainer (Steve Asmussen).

At Laurel, ROVING ANGEL, for Rachel McClelland, competes in the Nellie Morse Handicap The 6yo Kentucky brede is coming off a 3^rd in the New Years Eeve Stakes at Mountaineer.

And Canadian-bred MAREN’S MEADOW is in the Dixie Belle Stakes at Oaklawn today, meeting up with the rapid RATED FEISTY.

YESTERDAY

The wild ride continues for trainer TINO ATTARD at Gulfstream. Attard, a longtime top trainer at Woodbine who has spent a lot of time helping his son Kevin rise to the top of the trainer’s standings, is having a stunning meeting.

Yesterday, ONE DREAMY CAT (a Canadian-bred by Cat’s at Home won handily for $12,500 claiming for Attard and owner Herbert Chambers). Attard previously sent out Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk to a career best 100 Beyer Figure in a win.

QUEEN'S PLATE HOPEFUL FOR MELNYK

PALMERS is on the map for the 2008 Queen's Plate with a maiden score yesterday fair Grounds. The GRAND SLAM colt won the 1 1/16 mile race on the grass but had been flirting int he 70s in Beyer Figures before that in 3 previous races, 2 on the main track. No Beyer Figure was available yet for PALMERS.

He is the 2nd foal of the SILVER DEPUTY mare Edey's Village, a 4-time winner - her first is the maiden SEAMANS VILLAGE.

ASCOT KNIGHT PENSIONED

Our former Leading Canadian Sire Ascot Knight has been retired from stud duties due to declining health after 19 seasons at stud and will be pensioned at the farm.

The 24 year old son of Danzig-Bambee T.T., by Better Bee, has sired 32 stakes winners and earners of more than $28 million, including champion Pennyhill Park(G2), Italian Derby(G1) winner Bahamian Knight, Canadian Oaks winner Plenty Of Sugar, Breeder's Stakes winner Pinafore Park and additional SWs Influent(G1), Hey Hazel(G2), Ascot Yael(G2), Reclaim(G2), Cheery Knight(G2) and Scotman(G3).

Bred in Canada by Bob Anderson, Ascot Knight was purchased by Gainsborough Farm for $1,400,000 at the Keeneland July Yearling sale in 1985. He was sent to England where he won or placed in seven of ten starts, including a victory in the Mecca Bookmaker's Scottish Derby and placings in 4 graded stakes including a second in the Matchmaker International S.(G1) before retiring to stud at Windfields for the 1989 season.

A son of leading sire of sires Danzig, Ascot Knight is a full brother to champion Petit Loup, and a half brother to champion and Canadian classic winner Bounding Away and stakes winner overreaction, and from the immediate family of major sire Clever Trick and millionaire and multiple graded SW Tenpins.

His runners have excelled on turf and are showing quite an affinity for the Woodbine Polytrack surface also. He had 2007 progeny earnings of more than $1.5 million, with over $1.1 million of that realized over synthetic surfaces.

He is also gaining a reputation as an exceptional broodmare sire, as evidenced by the $385,000 hammer price for his graded-stakes producing daughter Ascot Starre at the 2008 Keeneland January sale.
His daughters have produced 23 stakes winners of more than $16 million US at this writing, including 2007 SWs He's No Pie Eater(G1), Divine Park(G3), Suva(L), Pretoria Light and Molly's Pride and additional SWs Mula Gula(G2), Greelay's Galaxy(G2), Trail The Fox(G2), A La Reine(G3) and High Button Shoes(G3).

TEST POSITIVE? HORSE BANNED 90 DAYS

In a first of its kind in North America, the Ontario Racing Commission has implemented a rule in which any horse that tests positive for a class 1, 2 or 3 drug, will be unable to race for 90 days.

Previously, such a horse could be transferred to another trainer while the trainer is banned, but now the ORC is moving to an “owner responsibility” mandate.

A series of new rules were issued by the ORC by press release and can be found on its website.

There are other rules regarding SHOCK WAVE THERAPY, liability for trainers, horse passports etc.

http://www.ontarioracingcommission.ca/initiatives.aspx?id=439

NOTES ON THE SUNSHINE MILLIONS

SUNSHINE MILLIONS VERDCIT DUE SOON
FROM THE UNION-TRIBUNE

January 26, 2008

Santa Anita is one day short of the track record when racing was canceled for a second straight day yesterday.

Calling things off again today, when the Arcadia facility is to host four races of the Sunshine Millions, would tie the record and qualify as track President Ron Charles' worst nightmare. But the possibility exists.

Santa Anita received approximately 3½ inches of rain and approximately two inches of hail in the 48-hour period from Wednesday to yesterday morning.

It was exactly what was not needed on the drainage-deficient Cushion Track synthetic surface that forced shutting the place down Jan. 5-7.

As Charles said Thursday: “We're at the mercy of the weather.”

It was blustery with occasional showers at the storied Great Race Place near Pasadena yesterday afternoon. The forecast calls for more precipitation today, although how much and when is any meteorologist's guess.

The deadline for a go-or-no-go decision is ostensibly 10 this morning.

“Any decision we make will be in full consultation with trainers, owners, jockeys, officials and track maintenance personnel,” Charles said yesterday. “We realize that many people, including our fans and horsemen, are being inconvenienced by the uncertainty wrought by the current weather and track conditions . . .

“If we get a break in the weather, we will make every attempt to try and run.”

The Sunshine Millions consists of eight races restricted to California-or Florida-bred horses. The eight races have combined purses of $3.6 million.

Four are staged at Gulfstream Park in Florida and four at Santa Anita, on an alternating basis. Full TV coverage is to be provided by ESPNEWS (1-2 p.m. PST) and ESPN2 (2-3 PST).

All systems are go at Gulfstream. If Santa Anita has to cancel, its portion of the Sunshine Millions will be rescheduled at a later date.

Taking the optimist's approach that the show will go on on both coasts, here's a capsule look at the Sunshine Millions races, in order of occurrence.

Sprint (Gulfstream, $300,000, 6 furlongs, 11 entered, post 1:02 p.m.) – Benny the Bull was fourth in the Breeders' Cup Sprint in October, and Cobalt Blue won a non-BC sprint earlier on the same Monmouth Park program.

Filly & Mare Sprint (Santa Anita, $300,000, 6 furlongs, 10 entered, 1:14 p.m.) – Dearest Trickski has won four straight, starting in September at Del Mar.

Oaks (Gulfstream, $250,000, 6 furlongs, 11 entered, 1:35 p.m.) – Blitzing and American County come in off impressive last-out victories.

Filly & Mare Turf (Santa Anita, $500,000, 1 1/8 miles, 8 entered, 1:44 p.m.) – Nashoba's Key makes first start since career-starting seven-race win streak ended at BC Filly & Mare Turf.

Distaff (Gulfstream, $500,000, 1 1/8 miles, 12 entered, 2:02 p.m.) – Ginger Punch, Older Female Eclipse Award winner for 2007, makes 2008 debut looking to top $2 million career earnings mark.

Dash (Santa Anita, $250,000, 6 furlongs, 10 entered, 2:15 p.m.) – Georgie Boy makes first start since winning Del Mar Futurity on Sept. 7.

Turf (Gulfstream, $500,000, 1 1/8 miles, 12 entered, 2:32 p.m.) – Icy Atlantic, race runner-up to Lava Man in '07, targeted to make step up.

Classic (Santa Anita, $1 million, 1 1/8 miles, 14 entered, 2:46 p.m.) – Defending race champion McCann's Mojave facing deepest field in brief history of the event with Celtic Dreamin, Diamond Stripes and Electrify figuring as top betting favorit